By Roby Helm
SWAINSBORO, GA – October 18, 2025 –
Eric Riggins Jr. of Charlotte, NC won the 25-lap United Sprint Car Series Outlaw Thunder Tour Presented By Hoosier Racing Tire 2025 Season Finale on Saturday night at Swainsboro Raceway. Riggins took the lead at the start of the race and led wire-to-wire for the victory in the caution free race that took 6 minutes and 52.049 seconds to complete.
Friday night’s winner Mark Ruel Jr. of Jacksonville, FL finished second and Kelsey Ivy of Fremont, OH took the third spot. Fourth went to Trey Meredith of Dade City, FL and the newly crowned 2025 USCS National Champion Dale Howard of Byhalia, MS was fifth.
The 2021 USCS National Champion Danny Smith of Chillicothe, OH started 11th and finished sixth, which earned the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Inductee the Wilwood Disc Brakes Hard Charger of the Race Award.
Tyler Blankenship of Bakersfield, CA was seventh and Lance Moss of Cherryville, NC took the eighth spot. Jeff Willingham of Ripley, MS came home in ninth and Tanner Witherspoon of Jacksonville, FL rounded out the top ten.
In preliminary action, Riggins won the six-lap Hoosier Racing Tire Speed Dash to earn the Pole Position for the 25-lap Feature Race. The two eight-lap Heat Races were won by Ivy in the Engler Machine & Tool First Heat, and Riggins in the Butlerbuilt Second Heat.
Riggins took the lead at drop of the green flag to start the 25-lap Feature Race, followed by Ruel, Ivy, Meredith, and Howard. Ivy and Meredith got busy early in the show with a tight battle for the third spot. Meredith passed Ivy for the spot on lap three, and Ivy reclaimed the third position from Meredith on lap four.
Ruel fell 2.575 seconds behind Riggins by the tenth lap. Ivy and Meredith revisited their battle for third on lap 13. Meredith took over third on the 13th lap, but Ivy said not today, as he passed Meredith back for the third spot on lap 14. Riggins held 3.997 second advantage over Ruel with ten laps to go.
The last ten laps of the race saw Ruel try to close the gap on Riggins. Ruel closed to within 3.280 seconds on the leader with five laps to go, but Riggins took a 2.678 second margin of victory under the checkered flag.
The United Sprint Car Series Outlaw Thunder Tour Presented By Hoosier Racing Tire has concluded its 2025 season. For more information about USCS, visit their website at uscsracing.com and the series Facebook page, or call the USCS office at 770-865-6097.
United Sprint Car Series Marketing Partners are Engler Machine & Tool, Hoosier Racing Tire, Huggins Cams, Hero Graphics, DMI/Bulldog, Racing Electronics, JE Pistons, DHR Suspension, Wilwood Disc Brakes, AR Dyno Specialties, KSE Racing Products, PRO Shocks, Schoenfeld Headers, and Arizona Sport Shirts.
OFFICIAL RESULTS OF THE UNITED SPRINT CAR SERIES OUTLAW THUNDER TOUR PRESENTED BY HOOSIER RACING TIRE SEASON FINALE AT SWAINSBORO RACEWAY IN SWAINSBORO, GA ON 10/18/25:
FEATURE RACE – 30 Laps: 1. 24 Eric Riggins Jr., Charlotte, NC (1); 2. 83 Mark Ruel Jr., Jacksonville, FL (2); 3. 201 Kelsey Ivy, Fremont, OH (3); 4. 11 Trey Meredith, Dade City, FL (4); 5. 47 Dale Howard, Byhalia, MS (5); 6. 4 Danny Smith, Chillicothe, OH (11); 7. 9 Tyler Blankenship, Bakersfield, CA (8); 8, 23 Lance Moss, Cherryville, NC (9); 9. 28 Jeff Willingham, Ripley, MS (7); 10. 99 Tanner Witherspoon, Jacksonville, FL (6); 11. 43 Terry Witherspoon, Jacksonville, FL (12); 12. 7e Eric Gunderson, Calhoun, GA (14); 13. 22 Shawn Murray, Jacksonville, FL (10); 14. 10 Terry Gray, Bartlett, TN (13).
HOOSIER RACING TIRE SPEED DASH – 6 Laps: 1. Riggins; 2. Ruel; 3. Ivy; 4. Meredith; 5. Howard; 6. Ta. Witherspoon.
HEAT RACES – 8 Laps:
ENGLER MACHINE & TOOL HEAT 1: 1. Ivy; 2. Howard; 3. Ruel; 4. Moss; 5. Blankenship; 6. Smith; 7. Gray DNS.
BUTLERBUILT HEAT 2: 1. Riggins; 2. Ta. Witherspoon; 3. Meredith; 4. Willingham; 5. Murray; 6. Te. Witherspoon; 7. Gunderson DNS.